Superior Drum

EPA, NJDEP and Gloucester County officials identified the Superior Drum Site in Gloucester, NJ as an imminent threat when thousands of containers, mostly 275-gallon totes and 55-gallon drums were discovered, located along the road as well as in the woods, wetlands, and elsewhere throughout the 25 acre property. Containers were stacked several high in various locations and were shown to be in various states of deterioration: leaking, void of tops, exposed to weather elements, rusted, damaged due to gunshots, stored improperly, and laying on their sides. Numerous trailers were also found to be open and containing 55-gallon drums. The containers throughout the site appeared to be full, however most did not have labels. Among those with labels, many warned of flammable liquids, corrosives, marine pollutants, flammable solids, and non-hazardous material. NJDEP referred the site to EPA due to the severe conditions at the site, including drum contents spilled in wetlands, contents pooling alongside the road, and unsecured access to the facility. Upon TO award, KEMRON’s Response Manager contacted EPA’s On-Scene Coordinator to review site logistics and commenced field activities. KEMRON immediately secured all access points into the building and around the properties, constructed an earth berm around the outside perimeter of Area 3, collected inventoried, stabilized, secured, segregated, repacked and overpacked drums and containers of waste, provided HazCat services for waste characterization of the materials, conducted air monitoring for volatile organic compounds and fugitive dust emissions during the cleanup, documented site activities with a daily summary report, and prepared an H&S plan and a Work Plan for field activities. A total of 2,300 samples were collected and field characterized. KEMRON personnel continued staging waste containers by waste streams, preparing for bulking operations, overpacking containers, and transferring contents from totes that did not meet the Department of Transportation (DOT) specifications for shipment. KEMRON’s chemist shipped 57 composite samples to the laboratory for analysis. 143 containers of hazardous waste were shipped to a disposal facility, and 14,200 gallons bulk hazardous liquids were shipped for treatment and disposal.